What Is A Call To Action?

Date First Published: 30th September 2022

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Advertising

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 4/10

Learn more about what call to action in this article.

A call to action (CTA) is a banner, button, or some graphic or text on a website designed to grab the visitor's attention and encourage them to perform an action, such as clicking through an online ad. A CTA uses an imperative verb, such as 'Check out now' or 'Click here' that is designed to stand out from the image or text.

Clicking on the CTA will take the visitor to a hyperlink. Whilst a CTA does not guarantee that visitors will click or generate a sale, it does increase the chances, so it is recommended for advertisers to include a CTA in their content. The aim of CTAs is to help convert a visitor or reader into a lead. Depending on the goal, CTAs can drive a wide variety of actions.

Its success can be measured through its click through rate (CTR) which is determined by calculating the percentage of visitors that click through by dividing the total number of clickthroughs by the impressions and then multiplying it by 100. Whilst CTA is often used to describe buttons or text on paid ads, it can refer to a button on any piece of content.

For example, if a homepage contained a button with a link to the latest post that said 'Watch now', that would be a CTA. If a website had a newsletter that visitors could subscribe to, a CTA, such as 'Subscribe now' would be used to encourage them to subscribe.

How To Create Effective CTAs?

Tips for creating effective CTAs include:

1. Keep it short - An effective CTA is a short phrase, not a long sentence. The recommended length for a CTA is 2-6 words.
2. Create a sense of urgency - CTAs that create a sense of urgency and keep visitors engaged on the site will increase conversion rates.
3. Make it visible - Since the CTA button should be the most noticeable element on the page, the font should be big enough, the colour should have enough contrast, and it should stand out from the rest of the content.
4. Don't mislead users - For example, a CTA button that says 'Buy now' when the button actually takes the user to a completely different page would be misleading and would encourage users to bounce back as they didn't find what they were looking for.
5. Use action words - As suggested in the name, CTAs should use words designed to encourage visitors to perform an action, such as downloading a file, purchasing a product, or signing up for an account. Examples of action words include 'Read more', 'Buy now', 'Download now', and 'Click here'.

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